thomson



(NoModeL) 2'She etsSh eet J.THOMSONi BBNQH'VISE. v y

Patented Feb. 5. 1884.

Wit esses Inventori- 7 W W. (A

N, PETERS. Phnlwlilhugmphur. Washington. 0.:

, w 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. THOMSON.

BENCH VISE'.

(No Model.)

No, 292, 74. Patented Feb. 5, 1-884 I I I r I v y 1 u I 1| I nvel ltor:

UNITED iS'rarns PATENT Orricn.

JOHN THOMSON, or BROOKL N, NEW YORK.

BENCH-VISE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 292,874, dated February 5, 1884. Application filed July 25, 1883. (X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN THOMSON, of Brooklyn, county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bench-Vises, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to quick-adjusting parallel bench-Vises, and particularly to that class described in my previous patents of March 28, 1882, No. 255, 700, and June 13, 1882, No. 259,603. a

The object of my present invention is, first; to provide more simple means for restricting the amplitude of action of the screw; second, in an improved nut; third, in an improved disengaging device; fourth, in an improved construction forlocking the ratch et-rod against the back-thrust of the screw; and, fifth, in an improved self-adjusting attachment for clamping irregular-shaped parts.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved vise. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the jaws with the shafts in section on line A of Fig. 1. 5

Fig. 4. is an enlarged longitudinal section of nut. Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved taper attachment, while Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively front and side elevations, and Fig. 4? an enlarged transverse section on line E of said attachment. Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section on line F; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detached view of keeper.

In my patent of June 13,1882, hereinreferred to, the means shown and described for restricting the outward movement of the ratchetshaft is a spline held in the front jaw by a screw operating in a longitudinal groove formed in the shaft, said groove having a solid terminus, against which the spline impinges. In the present instance I simply flatten a portion of the ratchetshaft h, leaving a cylindrical portion, 0, thereon, Fig. 2, in proper relative position with respect to the nut m, and insert a flattened pin, cl, passing transversely through the jaw, said pin serving, as shown, to prevent the ratchet-shaft from turning with the nut when the latter is rotated by the handlever, and also preventing the threaded end of the ratchet-shaft from being worked out of the nut or beyond a proper amount of bearing surface of the threads of the shaft and nut, by

strain in turning the nut.

impinging against the end of said cylindrical portion of said ratchet-shaft. The chief advantage of this arrangement over that of my previous invention is its cheapness of construction, requiring but a single bore and pin to effect the desired result. a

To form the thread in the nut m in the or dinary manneri. e., bore to a depth, chamber out, and tap--is chiefly objectionable, in that, as the depth of chambered portion is necessarily limited, a number of taps of increasing size are required, upon which the wear and tear is more severe and the time required to complete the job much longer than where the bore extends entirely through the part to be threaded. Such a construction also requires that the entire nut and projecting hub shall be formed from expensive metal if a durable thread and shoulder are desired. To obviate these objections,Iconstruet the nut m in two parts, the main body and hub of said not being formed of, say, cast or malleable iron, having the chamber at cored out roughly. I then counterbore as to Z and face up the edge Z.- To this bore a bushing, 76, is formed to fit snugly, and having a projecting shoulder, 7a, of the same outside diameter as the main body of the nut. The bushing is preferably formed from the best quality of bearing-metal for the duty required. Before inserting the bushing it is threaded to the desired standard, and being comparatively of short length and open at both ends, it will be seen that this the most important element of manufacture involves the minimum of labor. After being tapped, the bushing is forced to its seat in the body of the nut, and as the entire direct strain upon the thread is borne by theshoulder of the bushing it is therefore only necessaryto further provide for the torsional To guard against the possibility of the two parts slipping upon each other the bushing is pinned or keyed to the body of the nut, as at q. The only wear of consequence upon the nut being that of the thread and the bearing-face of shoulder, it will be seen that to renewthe part simply involves a duplication of the bushing. Therefore, the advantages of this construction are cheapness of manufacture, strength,

durability, and convenience of renewal.

In vises'of this class, as hitherto made, it has required the use of both hands, or a certain amount of lost time and movement, to effect a disengagement of the locking mechanism prior to the quick adjustment of the jaw.

In the present invention I obtain a disengagement and adjustment of the jaw of the vise in practically one and the same instant. This is effected in the following manner: Through the pawl b and pawl-shaft 2) passes a disengaging-rod, s, fitted to slide freely through its bearing and projecting back and out be- The rod also passes forward through a cored recess formed in the front jaw, ending as atween the ratchet-shaft and tail-piece.

slightly curved hook, projecting beyond the cored opening under the nut. In the recess of the front jaw a circular well is formed for receiving the spiral spring One end of this spring rests upon the rod and the'otherf end thrusts upward against the nut. Thus the spring acts, through the rod, to hold the pawl in proper engagement, while the spring itself is also securely held in position. The

disengaging-rod is prevented from slipping backward by the knee S of the rod impinging against the wall (1 of the jaw, and from.

being drawn forward by the pin a,- but in the instance of a straight rod being used, or-

rod 8 upward, as in grasping andfiring a .pis-,

tol or gun. This, as will be apparent, instantly disengages the teeth of the pawl from the ratchet-shaft, (the pawl-shaft I) being the fulcrum upon which the rod vibrates,) and the jaw is then free to be slid in either or both directions. relieve the disengaging-rod from the :finger, and it will be instantly snapped back by the spring and again carry the pawl to .-engagement with the ratchet-shaft. Next slide the hand outward upon the hand-lever, at the same time changing the direct into a rotary movement, and the work will be instantly clamped by the action ofthe screw. When the pawl is disengaged and the jaw slid back and forth, the pawl necessarily vibrates up and down with the changing angle of the rod; hence in the normal position shown in the figures it is necessary to the proper action of the vise that that portion of the rod which slides through the pawl should be parallel with the face of the ratchet-shaft, otherwise,'when clamping the work,the rod would be cramped in its bearing or the ;pawl be disengaged. screw to unclamp the work, the thrust is transmitted to the inclined sides of the ratchet- To assemble these WVhen set to the desired position, 1

In reversing the action of the} teeth. Heretofore the means for holding the ratchet-shaft against this thrust, that the jaw may be forced back, has been the spring which throws the pawl into engagement, hence requiring it to be sufficiently stiff to overcome the inertia and friction of the jaw and tailpiece. In heavy vises this, for obvious reasons, has been an objectionable feature. I obviate it in the following manner: After boring the bearings for the upper and lower shafts to their exact diameters and distance apart, I then simply sweep out the front and lower portion of the lower bearing beneath the tail-piece f, tapering backward, as shown in exaggerated form at 2, Figs. 2 and 3. The consequence of this is that the tail-piece is relieved and the weight of the front jaw is then, in a good measure, borne by the ratchetshaft, and results in slightly cramping and holding the said shaft firmly in position. This in nowise interferes with the proper action of the vise, as when the shafts are strained in clamping the trifle of lost motion necessary to effect the result described is at once taken up, the deflection being, in the bulk of in stances, entirely downward. Therefore a very light spring may be used, or be entirely dispensed with, the rod acting by gravity to reset the pawl.

It will be understood that the tail-piece f, above referred to, is rigidly attached to the front or movable jaw, and consequently moves therewith.

In many of the taper devices made hith erto for clamping irregular-shaped work the adjustment obtained from any single device has been but in a single plane. It is apparent that to meet every requirement of practice such a device should be universal in its ad aptability,coniorining automatically to any plane in which the inclined surface may be presented. Toeffect this I employ the well-knownballand-socket.

To the stationary socket-piece r-is fitted a swiveled jaw, 12, a part of which is formed into a ball or rounded projection fitting in the concave socket in the piece 1'. At the crown of the ball a-circular recess, 1), is formed, sufficiently deep to pass well beyond the center of the sphere. The head :0 of the retaining-bolt w is also of a spherical conformation next to the body of the bolt. The bearing 1/ of the keeper y isalso countersunk to conforinto the shape of the bolt-head. The retaining-bolt and keeper being placed one within the other, the keeper is then forced tightly into the bore 1) of the ball to such a depth that the center of the ball andthe bolt-head coincide, when the threaded end of the bolt is slipped into its bearing 0, formed in the bottom of the socket, and secured at the opposite side of the stationary piece by the nut 0, bringing the surfaces of the ball and socket into easy. contact. The retaining-bolt, as shown, is considerably lessin diameter than the recess within which it is secured. n

It is now apparent from the illustration of the figures that any angle which may be presented to the jaw, as z z, or a combination of the two angles in a single part, will be properly eonformed'to by the jaw, and that the conditions under compressive strain are the same in whichever position the jaw may be set.

The keeper 0, Fig. 6, is made of springmetal and by means of the nut 0 permits of ample adjustment for wear, of bearing-surfaces. To lock the keeper against the possibility of withdrawal, a groove or burr, w, is formed, into which its outer edges are forced.

To apply the apparatus to the jaw of a vise, I fit two dowel-pins, p p, to the stationary socket-piece, and bore two bearings, 12 12, Fig. 3, in jaw of vise corresponding in size to the dowel-pins.

The pins are of sufficient length to prevent the device from dropping out; hence its attachment or detachment is but the work of an instant, while under strain it is perfectly solid and rigid.

What I claim isj 1. In a quick-adjusting parallel bench-vise, the combination, with the ratchet-shaft having a flattened portion and a cylindrical portion, of the flattened pin (1, adapted to engage with the flattened portion of said shaft, and thus prevent the rotation thereof, and to impinge against the end of the cylindrical portion of said shaft, and thus limit its longitudinal movement, substantially as described.

2. The nut at, having the interiorly-arranged threaded bnshin g It, substantially as described.

3. In a vise, the combination, with the stationary and movable jaws thereof, of the ratchet-shaft h, pawl 12, and disengaging-rod s, substantially as described.

4. In a vise, the combination, with the sta tionary and movable jaws and means for operating the latter, of the ratchet-shaft h, pawl 11, disengaging-rod s, and spring i, substantiall y as described.

V 5. In a quick-adjusting parallel bench-vise having atail-piece rigidly attached to the front jaw and sliding in the back jaw, and a ratchetshaft, ash, having a sliding bearing in both jaws, and means for operating the same, the relieved or tapered bearing 15, for the purpose of throwing the weight of the front jaw mainly upon the ratchet-shaft, thereby cramping said ratchet-shaft and holding it in position against the back-thrust of the screw.

6; The combination, with the piece 1-, having a concave socket, and the swiveling jaw 11, having a ball or rounded projection adapted to said socket, of the retainingbolt m and the keeper y, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the socket-piece r and swiveling jaw 22, having a ball-and-socket connection, of the retaining-bolt w, the keeper y for said bolt, the dowel-pins p 11, secured to said socket-piece, and a jaw of a vise, having holes or bearings p adapted to receive said pins, substantially as described.

JOHN THOMSON. Witnesses:

Centres 0. BARTOX, LYMAN H. Essnx. 

